


Reason Enough

by Daily



Series: A bond of family [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animagus, Bonds, Dog - Freeform, Family, Friendship, Hogwarts, Hurt/Comfort, Marauders, Marauders' Era, Moony - Freeform, Padfoot - Freeform, Prongs - Freeform, Stag - Freeform, Transformation, Werewolf, animagi, awesome friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-17
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-03-31 00:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3957820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daily/pseuds/Daily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of how James figured out Remus’ secret, discussed it with Sirius and they decide to become Animagi to help out their friend. Marauder Era.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. If I did none of the true Marauders would have ever died and they’d have lived long and happily ever after. 
> 
> Warnings: Strong bromance, boys hugging, cuddling and holding hands while having emotions. Can’t handle it, press the return button now, flames on that will be handled with a fire extinguisher and completely ignored after being put out.
> 
> Special thanks to Kitty for reading this over and beta-ing this for me.
> 
> This plays in the Marauder era.
> 
> The story includes Peter but he's mostly only mentioned and doesn't really speak when he is there.

“I think Remus is a werewolf.”

With those words James kicked off his shoes and dropped down onto Sirius’ bed in their deserted dorm on a late afternoon.

“Okay.”

James blinked at the lack of reaction as his best friend continued reading.

“That’s it?” he waited for a long moment but there came nothing else so he pulled the book from Sirius’ hands, tossing it over his shoulder. “Sirius!”

Sirius flinched, making James immediately feel bad for raising his voice, but he swallowed his apology as Sirius covered his flinch underneath a wet cough.

“What?”

“I’m telling you very important news and you have nothing more to say than okay?”

“Well, what do you want me to say?” Sirius leaned back against the headboard.

“I don’t know, something, anything!”

Sirius sighed, raising his wand to murmur something before he turned his head to him.

“All right, what makes you think he’s a werewolf?” 

“Thank you. At first I didn’t really think anything of it, but you know how Remus is sick so often? And keeps telling us reasons why he’s got to leave?”

“Yeah?”

“It caught my attention that he’s always only sick once a month.”

“Please tell me you didn’t think he was secretly a girl,” Sirius rubbed a hand over his face tiredly.

“No! Well, it might have crossed my mind, but I realised McGonagall would never allow a girl to stay in the dorm with boys. Oh come on, he never changes in the dorm, always locking himself into the bathroom to change. It was a valid thought,” James defended his thoughts at Sirius’ raised eyebrow.

“James, I don’t change in the dorm either. It’s something people call privacy, not everyone enjoys flashing their naked parts around.”

“I don’t flash my naked parts around,” James protested, not pointing out that Sirius had his own secrets he was hiding from them.

“James, I’ve seen your bare buttocks more often than I’ve even seen Regulus shirtless. And I’ve been living in the same house as him for eleven years now. You, my friend, are what normal people call a flasher.”

“I....I....don’t change the subject!” James was aware his cheeks were burning, but he pointedly ignored the knowing and teasing smile on his best friend’s lips.

“The point is, Remus always gets sick once a month. And I know he always giving excuses that his mum is sick and he’s got to visit, but unless it’s really catching, she’s not the one who’s sick.”

“So, because he’s sickly and doesn’t want to admit it, he’s a werewolf?”

“I might have been keeping track of when he’s sick, just to be sure it wasn’t anything serious,” he paused as Sirius gave him a blank look. “Well, if it was something serious then there might be regularity in the stadiums.”

“What did you find?” James knew Sirius was finally taking him serious as he shifted, withdrawing slightly as though to prepare himself for what might come.

“He’s sick once a month, on different days. But usually with pauses of around 28 days between them. He becomes quiet and withdrawn, not unusual when one is feeling unwell, I know. But then I couldn’t sleep a few days after he’d been absent again and noticed it had been a full moon.”

“So you compared your notes to when the full moon occurred?” 

“Yes!” This was one of the times he was truly grateful his friend was so quick of mind. “His absences always overlaps with the full moon. It could be a coincidence, but adding up that he’s always looking ill a few days before hand and sore when he gets back forms the conclusion that Remus is a werewolf.” 

“And what if he is?”

“Well, he should have told us, doesn’t he trust us?” James wasn’t sure why Sirius wasn’t reacting half as strongly as he had when he had first realised it, it wasn’t every day you discovered one of your friends was a werewolf. But as he stared at his friend, he had a feeling Sirius had been having his own suspicions already and it was only then that he realised Sirius was staring at him incredulously.

“What?”

“If you were a Muggle-born or possibly even a half-blood, I would be able to understand that question. But surely you, as a pure-blood, know how werewolves are treated in our society?”

“We’re his friends!”

“So? Our entire society shuns werewolves for something they rarely, if ever, willingly choose. They are persecuted and denied even the most basic of rights, even by their own families. There are some who shun their own after they are bitten and more than once I’ve heard stories of parents who kill their own offspring, rather than having to admit they have a werewolf in the family.”

“Remus’ parents aren’t like that,” James couldn’t help but point out.

“No, they are not, Merlin bless their souls. But can you really blame him for keeping it a secret? It is not something you easily share, even with your closest of friends.”

James’ annoyance deflated immediately and he let himself fall backwards onto the bed, grinning apologetic as his action almost unbalanced Sirius. He made up for it by tucking the plaid surrounding his friend around him a bit more securely. 

“But we would never shun him.”

“And how would he know that? I mean, let’s take a look at his friends. First, there’s Peter, who, let’s be fair, is scared of his own shadow. He follows us around and, quite frankly, if you told him to jump off the Astronomy Tower I think he might just do it just to get your approval. And we know his father is rather narrow-minded when it comes to magical creatures, who knows what his stance is on werewolves.”

There was nothing James could say to that, having seen the man sneer at the certain people when they’d ran into each other in Diagon Alley that summer. So he settled for sullenly plucking at a corner of the plaid still pooling around Sirius’ slender form.

“Then, there is you. Everyone knows you are open-minded and rather vocal about it, and so are your parents.”

James grin faltered slightly as Sirius held up a hand to keep him quiet, pausing to cough.

“But we’ve also seen your parents steer you away from the homeless man that was trying to leave Knockturn Alley.”

“What does a smelly homeless bloke have to do with anything?” James sat up again, so that he could look at Sirius without having to crane his neck.

“The man was a werewolf, James. His registration code was showing through his ripped clothes. Point is, Remus was present to see how everyone reacted to the man, your parents included. No matter how open-minded people might say they are, it is the instinctive reactions that leave the biggest impressions.”

“So you think Remus believes I would shun him if I were to know the truth?” 

“He might.”

James knew he should feel hurt by that and he wanted to disagree with the other’s words about his parents not being completely accepting, but he knew it would be a lie and he understood what Sirius meant.

“Well, what about you then? I saw you shoplift your uncle’s wallet and drop a few coins into the man’s lap before he pulled you away, too. So surely he knows he can trust you.”

“Are you kidding me? I’m the heir of one of the darkest families in Wizarding history. If there is anyone out there who thrives in narrow-mindedness, pure-blood mania and bigotry, it’s my family. And I might have turned my back on their teachings, but how could he possible know I wouldn’t shun him if I knew what he was? For all he knows I thought the man was just homeless, one act of kindness doesn’t define a person’s personality.”

“I know, but we know he can trust us, right?”

“Can he?”

“Of course! We would keep his secret.”

James wasn’t entirely sure if he was truly speaking about Remus any more as he stared in Sirius’ unreadable eyes.

“Are you absolutely sure of that?” 

“Why do you doubt I can keep it a secret?” James’ stomach turned unpleasantly as Sirius shot him a sceptical look. Did he truly think he wouldn’t be able to keep a secret and was that why he didn’t trust him with the truth?

“You just told me and you couldn’t have known how I’d react.”

James gaped at him, making undignified noises as Sirius stared at him with that same unreadable expression.

“You....you’re you...I mean....I already messed up, didn’t I?” deflating again, James let himself fall back once more; suddenly painfully aware he had indeed messed up.

He was always trying to show Sirius he could trust him with anything, regardless of what it was. But here he was, showing his best friend he clearly couldn’t be trusted to keep a huge secret.

“Yes, you did. Luckily for you, I couldn’t care less if he’s a werewolf or not. That leaves us with two options,” Sirius smiled as he patted his shoulder, misunderstanding the true reason for his distress.

Taking a deep breath to shake his wandering thoughts, James focused on him again.

“And what would that be?”

“We keep that we know it a secret, even from Remus.”

“We can’t keep it a secret! I can’t stand the lies and I want him to be able to trust us!”James grabbed his clammy hand, squeezing tightly as he tried to convey that once more.

“Or we tell him that we know and help him keep it a secret from everyone else,” Sirius continued as if James hadn’t interrupted him. “Because, quite frankly, if you found a pattern in his absence, who’s to say no one else will, either. If we tell him we know, we can cover for him more efficiently.”

“Make better excuses than his mother being sick?” James grinned as Sirius chuckled.

“Better than that, yes.”

“So that means you believe me?”

“Would I be having this conversation with you if I didn’t?”

Accepting that logic, despite having already realised his best friend had already suspected, James yawned with a nod.

“However, if he is indeed a werewolf, then I know you might just be in danger.”

Frowning James looked up to his best friend questioningly.

“How so?”

“Because he might just growl at you if he realises you’ve thrown a book across the room,” Sirius teased, indicating the book James had taken from him and that was now laying abandoned halfway across the room.

“Can’t have that, Accio book,” James murmured, catching it blindly as it soared towards them.

“Flitwick would be proud,” Sirius chuckled as he accepted the book back.

“He’d have a coronary if he realised just how advanced we are in Charms. And he’d not be the only one either, what are you doing with a fifth year Transfiguration book?”

“I borrowed it from Frank, wanted to learn something new,” Sirius shrugged as he fixed the damage James had done to the spine.

“Robins lent you his book? He lent you his book, willingly? How many warnings did you receive?”

“No, Longbottom loaned it to me. Isn’t Robins in fourth year?”

James shrugged. “He’s so tall it could easily be he’s a fifth year.”

“True. But even if he was, I wouldn’t borrow a book from him. He’d have tried to kill me for turning the page too quickly.”

“Which would mean Remus and I would then have to kill him in retaliation for attacking our best mate, so it might be best if you didn’t borrow anything from him.”

“Duly noted,” Sirius smiled.

“What are you reading about?” James ignored the slight tensing as he rested his head on Sirius’ lap, playing with the plaid once more as he waited for his friend to relax under his touch. 

“You really have no concept of personal space, do you?” James simply grinned, nuzzling his face lazily into the soft fabric Sirius dropped over his head as he detected no real annoyance or lingering unease in the other’s voice.

“You’re cold and clammy,” he commented as he caught Sirius’ hand again, keeping his touch loose but was happy when Sirius didn’t pull back, instead entangling their fingers.

“Aren’t I always?”

“Cold, yes. Clammy not so much. How are you feeling?”

“Better. I don’t think I’ll be running around any time soon, but I’m doing better,” James smiled at the reassurance in his companion’s voice and sat up to tuck the plaid around him a bit tighter again before leaning against the headboard beside him.

Taking the book from him he held it up so they could read it together, smiling when Sirius curled up beside him and let his head rest against his shoulder.

“Should we test Peter’s waters before we tell Remus? It wouldn’t be smart to let Remus take his guard down and accidentally get himself into trouble if Peter’s not as tolerant.”

“That would be wise. I wonder how I should approach it though, I don’t want to make the same mistake I made with you,” James murmured.

“Just be sure to keep the subject general and don’t show your own opinions too clearly. Not if you want his opinion to be uninfluenced by your own,” Sirius fell silent for a moment.

“You can say you’ve borrowed a third year’s Defence book and read about the subject. I doubt he’ll ask, but if he does then you can just say you are curious to your friend’s opinions. Can always say you’ve already asked me and to make it seem more real, you could even ask Remus. Might be a smart move anyway; test the waters before you ambush him with your knowledge.”

Sirius grinned. “Do it casually though, don’t want to give him a coronary by approaching him cautiously.”

“When did you become so wise?” James asked.

“One of us has to be the wise one,” Sirius teased, laughing as James swatted at his arm half-heartedly.

“Are you done about the subject now?”

“Yeah, you can take the Muffliato Charm¹ down again. Have I mentioned before how handy that spell is?”

“About the only thing my relatives are good for,” Sirius smiled faintly, leaning back against him.

Pulling his legs up a little, James rested the book onto his knees so that Sirius didn’t have to lean forward to be able to read.

They had only read in silence for about half an hour before their dorm opened to reveal Remus.

"Hey, you look cosy,” he commented softly, crossing the room to place some items onto Sirius’ night stand.

“Hey, he’s dozing off,” James greeted him.

“I can see that. I’ve nicked some more Pepper-up Potion from the hospital wing so he can take some this evening.”

“Thanks,” James watched as Remus took a seat on the edge beside Sirius, placing a hand on his forehead.

“His fever’s gone down a bit, but it’s not completely gone yet.”

James smiled as Sirius leaned into Remus’ touch with closed eyes.

“How about he takes my place and you sleep a little, huh? I need to hunt down Peter to discuss what we spoke about earlier anyway,” he softly suggested to Sirius, despite knowing he’d not get a reaction.

“He was still in the kitchen when I left, so I assume he’ll still be there,” Remus advised as he switched places with James.

Sirius made a soft sound of protest as Remus carefully slid him down, but quieted down again when Remus shifted him to rest his head in his lap comfortably.

James tucked him in with the plaid, pulling the one from his own bed to add it to that one so that he’d be nicely warm.

“I asked the House Elves if they could bring some light soup up for him to have for dinner, but it might be easier if you brought back dinner for all of us,” Remus suggested.

“Sounds like a good plan. Although I know he’s been on his own for most of the midday, I rather be here so he won’t be alone in the evening,” James admitted.

“Then let’s hold a slumber party then and spend the evening up here. It is a Saturday so it’s not really unusual for us to be up here.”

“True, and since we don’t want to call attention to the fact that he’s sick it will keep his absence unnoticed too. I’ll pick up some snacks for us; if he’s up to it we could play a game when I return.”

“Sure. Try to avoid McGonagall though, if she knew he was sick she’d force him to the hospital wing.”

“That wouldn’t do, you keep an eye on him and I’ll be back as soon as I can,” James brushed Sirius’ fringe out of his eyes, grimacing at the slightly damp hair.

“I’ll bring along a new bucket of ice cubes too, just in case.”

At Remus’ nod he quickly put on his shoes again, pausing at the door to glance back one more time; to find Remus brushing a hand through Sirius’ hair absent-mindedly while he flipped through the book they’d been reading.

Smiling at the sight, James slipped out to make his way to the kitchen and hopefully Peter so that he could get his opinion on werewolves, hopefully taking out at least one of the secrets in their small group.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a little after four in the morning when James returned to bed after a bathroom visit.

Automatically glancing at the empty bed on the far left, he frowned as his eyes fell onto the equally empty bed between that one and his own.

Retrieving his dressing gown from the edge of his bed, he slipped it on, grabbing one of the extra plaids resting there, too, before slipping out of the dorm.

The ajar door to the tower told him his hunch had been right and quietly he slip through, immediately spotting Sirius sitting with his back against the wall, wrapped in a warm plaid and a book resting in his lap.

"Hey, why are you out here so late?" he asked, wrapping the plaid around himself to keep warm in the cold air.

"Hey, just thinking," Sirius smiled faintly as he looked up.

"About?" glancing at his book James was surprised to see it was the same book about transfiguration he'd been reading two weeks before.

"Remus."

"What about him?"

"He's out there all alone right now, tearing himself apart."

Sighing James slid down to sit beside him and wrapped an arm around him to pull him close, smiling as Sirius leaned against him without hesitation.

"There's not much we can do about that, Siri."

"What if I told you I have an idea; although I am not sure if it's just a crazy thought or if it could actually work," Sirius covered them both with the plaid around him.

"Most of our ideas are crazy; they usually work regardless of the insanity level."

"Never as crazy as this."

"Try me," James braced himself for whatever suggestion Sirius was going to make.

Sirius ran a hand over the book in his lap, pulling back as though to protect himself from James' reaction. "I want to become an Animagus."

"Why?" was the only thing James could think to say, not having expected that answer.

"Werewolves are only dangerous to humans; if I were to become an animal I could keep him company during the full moon."

James stared at him for a long moment, not entirely sure what was going through his best friend's thoughts but wanting to understand.

"How would that help him?"

"I've done some research and all the books I looked through agree on the fact that werewolves are less violent when they spend the full moon in the presence of other animals. If I become an Animagus, I might be able to prevent him from tearing himself apart."

"Do you have any idea how illegal it would be? You are twelve," James couldn't help but point out.

"You don't doubt that I could do it?" James' lips twitched despite himself as Sirius' head shot up surprised.

"Oh no, if anyone could become an illegal and under-age Animagus, it would be you."

"I know it is illegal and I'd get into serious trouble if I get caught. But if it helps him, it would be worth the risk."

The simplicity of his friend's reasoning warmed James' heart and the sincerity in the light grey eyes made James smile.

"You mean, if we get caught."

"We?"

"Did you honestly believe for even one second that I would let you do this on your own? Not only do we have a better chance of doing this undetected if we work together, but I want to help Remus, too," James gently took the book from him, grinning at his surprise.

"What happened to the 'it is very dangerous and illegal?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not denying that it is, but I agree that it would be worth the risk if it means Remus doesn't have to suffer alone," James smiled as Sirius leaned back against his shoulder.

"Do you think we should ask Peter to join? It would be kind of unfair to do this behind his back and I'm sure he will want to help Remus, too," Sirius paused thoughtfully. "If we don't give him another near coronary when we tell him about this."

James couldn't stop the loud snort from escaping at that understatement.

When he had told Remus they knew about his secret, the guy quite literally had a panic attack, hyperventilating into a bag Sirius produced out of nowhere and everything.

Not that James could truly blame him as he hadn't exactly handled that tactfully or smart.

He could admit that telling a guy, who's been hiding something his entire life that 'we know you are a werewolf so there's no point in lying to us any more' while staring at him sternly was not exactly his brightest moment.

Sirius had been right to hex him and call him a bloody idiot while at the same time pulling Remus into an embrace.

All the colour had drained from the other's face so Sirius had told him that yes, they knew the truth but no, they didn't care and would he please not have a heart attack because he didn't know how to revive him if he died because James was a stupid idiot.

Hours later, it would be something that made Remus punch James in the arm and tell him he was a git with a shaky laugh, but when it happened he was scrambling to transfigure a stray candy wrapper into a bucket when Remus turned suspiciously green.

Not a moment too late, too, as Remus emptied his stomach into it, nerves giving out while Sirius and James both rubbed his back, apologising for dropping the bomb on him like that.

Only good thing about it all was that all the nervousness and twitching Peter had displayed since James' interrogation about werewolves the night before had vanished at the sight of Remus' obvious fear.

He had surprised James by patting Remus' shoulder and claiming he was still the same guy they'd been sharing a dorm with for over a year.

A claim he had not changed nor the way he acted around him, to James immense relief none of them had.

In the two weeks that followed, Peter still tried to steal Remus' dessert, only to as usual, promptly be stopped by Sirius at every attempt. He still peeked at his notes and begged for his help with his homework.

James himself didn't think he had changed his own behaviour. He still dragged Remus into mock wrestling matches and teased him mercilessly over his chocolate addition, though he now ensured there was always a nice stack available neither he nor Peter touched as they knew the healing effects of the stuff.

And he knew Sirius still fell asleep curled up beside him while they were doing homework together or reading a book and still woke him from his nightmares.

Nightmares James had never even known about until he'd been unable to fall asleep one night and had noticed Remus was turning around a lot. But before he'd been able to go see what was going on, Sirius had been there, expertly waking Remus within moments.

James had never really given it much thought on the occasions he woke up to find the two cuddled together, just having assumed Sirius was cold like he so often was.

Now it was clear it was because of Remus' nightmares, no more than a few words had been passed between the two as Sirius slipped into the bed beside him, tucking them both in.

He now understood that it had been Sirius' way to reassure Remus after his nightmares, whispering to him until the brown-haired boy fell back asleep tucked securely against his side.

"Yeah, he'll want to help Remus, too," Sirius smiled, unaware of James' wandering thoughts.

"So you don't think it is a crazy plan?"

"Oh, it is the most insane plan you have ever thought of, but absolutely brilliant, too," James grinned at the smile spreading over his best friend's lips.

"We shouldn't tell Remus though."

"To surprise him?"

"That's part of it, but also because I don't want to give him hope in case we fail. I've been doing some research for a while now and it is really, really difficult."

"How? We only discovered his secret two weeks ago," although, even as he said it James knew that wasn't entirely true. Sirius had clearly suspected long before he had, his seemingly strange actions involving Remus suddenly making a whole lot more sense.

"You discovered his secret two weeks ago; I've known a while longer."

"You didn't say anything when I discussed it with you though," James accused him half-heartedly, having suspected as much.

"Remus had no idea I'd discovered his secret accidentally and since it wasn't my secret to tell, I never said anything to you. Just began researching things that might help him."

James stared at Sirius before shaking his head with a smile, that explained the transfiguration books he'd been reading.

"Well, we've always liked a challenge."

"That, it will be," Sirius grinned.

And a challenge it was indeed.

Even with all their research and talent, it still took them quite a bit of trial and error to work out the transformation properly.

The first time James woke up with the beginning of a pair of antlers, luckily hidden in his hair, Sirius had suggested they keep a journal to mark their progress, complete with pictures.

At first James had been sceptical, but as Sirius had explained it would be for Remus he had agreed, though Peter downright refused to be photographed.

Which James thought was a shame as the sight of a large and thick rat tail sticking out of his nightclothes had been beyond funny, but at least easier to hide than the extra pair of dog ears Sirius had managed to grow on top of his head overnight.

James had thought it was hilarious, especially when they realised he had a tail to match the ears.

It had taken them almost three weeks before they managed to figure out how to remove both, keeping the tail hidden in his robes from curious eyes and dodging Madam Pomfrey.

Naturally Remus was very curious to what they were up to, but James managed to convince him and anyone asking that they were researching other uses for different potions, including the Polyjuice potion.

It helped that Professor Slughorn ate out of Sirius' palm and had satisfied McGonagall's alarming interest by saying he had given them permission to brew potions in his office for their research.

It wasn't entirely far from the truth as Sirius and he had indeed started a side project, they had just not told the entire truth behind their reasoning as they in reality worked to discover a way to make the transformations easier for Remus.

It kept curious eyes satisfied whenever they messed up in their attempts and sported strange body parts. They managed to convince McGonagall to not interfere with their errors, wanting to learn from their mistakes and terrified she'd figure out what they were really doing.

It was both surprising and interesting to see their strict teacher only roll her eyes whenever they went through another visible error they couldn't hide completely, sometimes leaving them small hints on how to undo some of their work.

The errors let them figure out what kind of animal they'd become fairly quickly and James couldn't help but be grateful at least two of them would be assuming to be big enough to match Remus' strength during the full moon.

But even with all their effort it still took them the better part of three years before Sirius was the first one capable of transforming completely.

They'd been relaxing in the room of requirement together, reading through their notes.

"Do you think we'll ever do anything that will help him?" James sighed.

"Do you want to give up?"

"Of course not, but you have to admit it is really frustrating we're not making any progress, at all," James complained.

"We've narrowed it down to the Polyjuice potion as being the most useful potion to adapt to what we want," Sirius shrugged.

"Doesn't really help him now, does it?"

"No, even our short term solution is taking more time than expected," Sirius admitted, closing the notebook and returning it to his bag.

"At the rate we're going, he'll be eighty before we manage to succeed in either project," James rolled onto his back.

"What's the matter? It's not like you to be pessimistic," Sirius leaned over him, a slightly worried shadow in his eyes.

"I guess I'm just tired of being unable to make a difference," James brushed a hand over Sirius' arm lazily, pulling him down to lie beside him.

"We'll get it, I know we will. Until we do, we'll just have to do everything we can to make it easier for him."

"I know, makes me feel rather useless though."

"Aren't you always?" Sirius teased in a clear attempt to cheer him up.

"Oh, that's it!" James dug his fingers into Sirius' side, deciding to shake his mood off to chase the worry out of his best friend´s eyes. He grinned as the other immediately squeaked and tried to scramble away.

But James had no trouble straddling him so that he could tickle him merciless, laughing at the squealing and undignified sounds his best friend produced.

He always ensured he kept his touch light, not wanting to leave bruises or cause any of Sirius' lingering injuries from the summer vacation to cause him discomfort. But it only resulted in a better ticklish effect that had tears running down his best friend's cheeks.

Sirius struggled against him, trying to roll over and James was about to give him air to breath when suddenly Sirius' entire body changed below him and he was thrown off by a powerful push.

"What the...S-Sirius?" James stared wide eyed at the enormous dog that was rolling over into an upright position where his best friend had been.

A dog with fur black as coal and very familiar light grey eyes.

"You did it," James whispered, reaching out shakily to brush a hand over the dark snout, a hesitant smile spreading over his lips as a large pink tongue shot out to lick his hand.

"You did it," he repeated, suddenly giddy and he let out a choked laugh. "You actually did it!"

Sirius, the dog, James wasn't sure what to call him right now turned his head to try and look at himself and James couldn't help but laugh at how silly it looked when he almost fell over in the process.

Immediately a large mirror appeared and he summoned it over so that Sirius could see for himself how he looked.

James couldn't help himself as he ran his hands through the thick, warm and surprisingly soft fur while Sirius stared at himself in the mirror.

"Can you walk?"

The dog stepped forward on shaky steps uncertainly, gaining confidence as he figured out what he was doing and gave an affirmative bark.

The sudden sound surprised James and he ran a hand through his hair laughingly as the dog's head crocked the same way Sirius' always did when he was utterly confused by something, clearly surprised by his own sound.

James watched amazed as Sirius moved around, taking the time to get used to his form.

James had to admit that if he hadn't seen his best friend transform with his own eyes, he never would have thought it wasn't a real dog.

He wondered if Sirius was using what they'd learned from watching their respective animals for hours, or if it came naturally.

Laughing as the dog caught sight of his own fluffy tail and began to chase it immediately, James whistled to get his attention.

"Can you change back?" he wondered as the dog returned to his side.

Trying to suppress the part of him that still thought puppies were adorable, he watched as the dog crocked his head again, sitting down.

When nothing happened James raised an eyebrow. "I take it that's not working?"

A low whine was his answer and he reached out to scratch behind his ear, laughing when a tail began to wag happily at his action.

"All right, what did our research say what to do when stuck?"

Biting his lip as the dog crocked his head in a clear 'really?" gesture he nodded, aware Sirius couldn't actually answer him right now. He spend some more time petting him as he tried to think of something.

"Well, remember when you changed me into a bird and no one could change me back because they couldn't figure out what you'd done?"

He didn't need to continue as almost immediately the dog began to change beside him and shifted back into his best friend.

James' arms shot out to steady Sirius as he overbalanced despite sitting down.

"Wow..."

"Easy. Guess that worked huh?" James grinned as Sirius turned around.

"That was weird, amazing but weird."

"What did you do to finally manage it?"

"You were tickling me and as I was trying to get away I remember thinking I could if only I was stronger and then I was suddenly changing," a wide grin spread over Sirius' face. "I did it!"

"You did," they took a moment to cheer, hugging and celebrating before deciding to see if he could change at will.

And he could. They spend the rest of the afternoon practising until Sirius could transform fluently back and forth while James attempted to manage the transformation himself under Sirius' instructions.


	3. Chapter 3

Remus looked up from his book when he felt Sirius slip onto the windowsill beside him.

"Class over already?"

"Yeah, McKinnon blew up the teli thing so we were dismissed early."

"Television?"

"No, the one Muggles use to call one another, telephone. She had to go to the hospital wing with Professor Arkwright."

"Is she all right?"

Sirius snorted, pulling his legs up into a more comfortable position. "I don't understand why they don't just teach teachers basic first aid healing. She just had a couple of deep scratches that could have been taken care of in moments."

Nodding Remus smiled, aware that his friend was a lot better at assessing injuries than most of the teachers were and would have acted if his classmate had been seriously injured.

"How far are you with your chapter?"

"Only two pages left."

"Hurry up then because there's something I want to show you."

Chuckling Remus nodded again, turning his attention back to his book. James would have taken the book from him, impatiently bribing him with it to get him to come along while Peter would nervously shift back and forth, driving Remus insane.

Sirius however usually waited patiently to let him finish before dragging him along, either reading with him over his shoulder or otherwise staying occupied.

Looking at the printed letters Remus sighed and closed the book, knowing he was too curious at what Sirius wanted to show him.

"I'm done," he announced, slipping the book back into his weightless bag before pulling it onto his shoulder, a trick he'd never stop thanking his dark-haired friends for.

"No, you're not," Sirius grinned, but he let himself slide down, landing on his feet.

"Is what you're going to show me going to take long?" Remus asked as he glanced outside, absent-mindedly scratching his palms, knowing he'd only have about two hours left until he'd have to leave to the Shrieking Shack.

"I'll show you there."

Accepting that answer Remus followed him out of the library.

As they walked, Remus noticed Sirius' hands were buried deep in his pockets.

"Are you cold?"

Shaking his head fondly at the dismissive hum he received he reached back into his bag to pull out his scarf, knotting it into a loop before tossing it over his friend's head with a bit of magic.

"What am I; a horse?" Sirius laughed, but halted until they were side by side.

"Yes, a wild one," grinning Remus bound the scarf around the other's neck and shrugged out of his outer robe to wrap it around Sirius, making him slide his arms into it.

"Are you sure you won't be cold?" the worry in Sirius' voice made Remus smile at him fondly and not bothering to answer the question, he took his hand before continuing.

Chuckling Sirius entwined their fingers together as they walked. "Excuse me for worrying about you despite the fact that you're clearly never cold."

"One of the very few benefits to being me is that I make for an excellent bed-warmer," Remus blinked surprised as Sirius abruptly stopped.

"Who's daring to use you as a bed-warmer?"

"Erm...you?" confused Remus looked at the outrage on Sirius' face, not entirely sure what had caused the change in mood so suddenly.

"I would never...I never even...what makes you think you are a bed-warmer to me?"

"Because you crawl into my bed at night when you're cold and cuddle close because I'm always warm? It was meant as a joke...why are you upset?"

"Rem...do...do you know what a bed-warmer is?" Sirius looked at him with an unreadable expression.

"A small metal container containing hot coals that Muggles put underneath their sheets to warm them up so it won't be so cold when they go to bed in the winter?" Remus wasn't sure why he posed it as a question, but the intensity in those warm grey eyes made him rather nervous.

"Oh...in the Magical World a person who's only used for sexual intentions and not actually loved is often called a bed-warmer."

Wincing Remus immediately realised why Sirius had become upset at his words.

"Sorry. It's just an expression my Mum often uses when Dad says he looks forward to cuddling during a cold night."

"It's all right, I didn't take into account it might have a different meaning to you. You do know I would never..."

"I know," Remus interrupted him, squeezing his hand as he looked distraught. "Even if you would have been the type to sleep around I know you'd never use anyone like that, least of all me."

As the tension disappeared out of Sirius' posture he smiled. "What would you call me then?"

"A cuddle buddy?" Sirius shrugged, not the least bit embarrassed.

"Like a teddy bear?"

"I've never had a teddy bear so I wouldn't really know."

The simple words saddened Remus; everyone deserved to have a teddy bear, especially Sirius, who hadn't had any source of comfort in his childhood.

"Well, then I'll just have to be your teddy bear."

A soft laugh escaped his best friend's lips. "My teddy bear?"

"Yes, no sharing with the others."

"My own personal warm and oversized teddy bear," the straight face he'd been trying to keep faltered as those twinkling grey eyes looked up to him and he laughed.

"Just don't tell James, he'd not let me live it down."

"Sure he would. After all, he wouldn't want me to call him by his own nickname in public."

"You're never going to let him live that down, are you?" Remus chuckled guiltily.

After all, he was the one who had taken one of his most beloved children's books to Hogwarts in their first year, after learning his Pure-Blood friend loved deer.

He'd been right in that Sirius loved the book, though he had never expected for the dark-haired teen to teasingly begin calling James Bambi on occasion.

Although, to be fair, Remus thought the nickname was rather fitting as James was indeed very curious and playful.

And whenever the bespectacled fifteen year old tried to get his way; he'd bash his lashes in a way that made his brown eyes seem larger and more endearing.

Those doe eyes where the reason Sirius had begun to call him Bambi.

"Oh, you have no idea," Sirius' eyes glinted with mirth, causing Remus to look at him confused.

"What did you do now?"

"You'll see when we get there."

Knowing he'd not get another word out of his friend he followed him through the hallways; discussing the latest book he'd challenged Sirius to read.

It wasn't hard to slip out of the castle and make their way to the Whomping Willow without anyone seeing them, and Remus watched with mixed feelings as Sirius slipped between the violent branches easily, touching the specific knot at the trunk so that they could both slip into the secret passage.

"I still don't understand why you can do that so easily. Madam Pomfrey and I always have to use a branch to be able to reach the knot without losing an eye," Remus grumbled as he slid down the passageway, blinking surprised when he could stand up straight. "What..."

"Undetectable Extension charm," Sirius answered the unasked question, darting forward, not bothered by the low ceiling as he was still small enough to have more than enough room to stand up straight.

"You...I had no idea that spell would work like this, too," Remus admitted, thinking of the bag his friend had modified for him with the same spell.

"You've never used the spell for this?"

"No, we always shuffle through the tunnel while bend," Remus admitted.

"I wonder why Madam Pomfrey doesn't use it; it's true that it doesn't make the tunnel much wider, but this is so much easier than having to basically crawl all the way¹."

"Less claustrophobic," was the only comment Remus could give to that logic, unsure why neither he nor the matron had ever thought of it.

"There is that benefit, too," Sirius agreed as he led the way into the Shrieking Shack and Remus took a deep breath as he pulled himself out of the hole, too, hating the room with everything he had.

"I'll show you upstairs," Sirius didn't even bat an eye at the broken settings of the room Remus always transformed in.

Quietly nodding Remus followed him up the stairs, not asking how Sirius knew his way around as he knew he'd been there before and was likely to remember the settings.

Sirius led him to one of the bedrooms, the door slightly ajar and Remus was surprised to find James and Peter rising from the bed as they entered.

"There you are," James grinned.

"What are you doing here?"

"This was the safest and easiest place to show you what we wanted without anyone walking in on us," Sirius shrugged, moving to stand beside James.

"Without anyone walking in….just what are you three planning now?" Remus couldn't help but be wary.

"We'll show you, just sit down," James indicated to the bed.

"It's bad enough that you want me to sit down?" swallowing Remus stared at him.

"Just sit down, Moony," shaking his head fondly Sirius took him by the arm and led him to the bed, making him sit down before taking a seat beside him.

"After we had confronted you about your furry little problem we discussed what we could do to make it easier for you," James began.

Remus opened his mouth to interrupt that they had, but the slight shake of Sirius' head made him hold his tongue.

"I suggested we learn about healing so that we could take care of you once you were released by Madam Pomfrey and Peter suggested we'd make sure you had enough to eat around the full moon," James began and Remus raised an eyebrow, not sure where this was going.

"Sirius however had a different plan. As you know he's known about Moony much longer than we have and he did some research on werewolves to learn more about them."

Remus nodded, aware of that as Sirius had been disgusted by what he found, actually going as far as hiding the books from the library as he deemed it incomplete information no student should read.

"You know I found very little useful information during my research," Sirius took over. "However, I did find something else that might make things easier for you."

"Like what?" confused Remus looked at him, not paying attention to James and Peter as they shifted to just outside of his view.

"Animagi."

"How would Animagi make things easier for me?"

"There would be someone there to stop you from hurting yourself and keep you company. It might make Moony less violent," Sirius' voice was soft and Remus swallowed.

"I would turn Animagi upon biting them," Remus frowned.

"That's just the thing; a werewolf bite is only poisonous to humans. An Animagus wouldn't be in danger from the curse because it's an animal. Even if Moony were to bite one, there would be no risk of changing him."

Remus let the words wash over him, racking his brain for the knowledge he had about the subject and realising Sirius was speaking the truth.

"But even if it would help me, Animagi are rare and the transformation is extremely difficult," Remus pointed out.

"It is, but wouldn't it be worth it to learn the skill if it would mean you'd be hurt less?" Sirius asked.

"You're delusional Siri, even if it would help me, where would one learn that skill? The transformation is the most difficult and most dangerous thing there is."

"But what if was possible?" Sirius pressed on and Remus sighed.

"If it were possible it would be amazing, but it's not. Even if by some miracle you'd be able to learn the skill, it is still illegal," frustrated Remus sighed, not sure why Sirius kept pressing the subject.

"Illegality and possibilities aside, it would be an option?" Sirius' eyes flickered to Remus' side and he rolled his eyes.

"Siri, I know you are brilliant and so is James, but even if you both are it is imp..." Remus trailed off, his mouth falling open as his eyes fell onto what Sirius was looking at.

At the place where James had been stood a large stag and Remus could only stare in shock at the magnificent animal as the animal scraped its front hoof over the floor.

Remus' eyes fell on the large antlers as the animal moved towards him and he couldn't help but swallow as the animal stopped before him, staring at him with familiar brown eyes.

"Bambi..." Remus whispered, suddenly understanding Sirius' mirth earlier.

He was startled when Sirius chuckled at his side and the stag bleated, clearly annoyed at the name and it suddenly clicked for Remus just who he was looking at.

"J-James?"

Reaching out a hand in disbelief, trying to assure himself he wasn't dreaming, Remus was distracted by loud twittering.

Glancing down he spotted a mousy brown rat near his shoe, sitting on its hind legs as it stared at him with dark watery eyes.

"Pete?"

"I think we got the impossible part covered, Rem," turning, Remus could only gape as his best friend's shape began to change before his very eyes; transforming into a large dog with fur as black as coal.

"H-how...Siri...," he breathed out, his hand making contact with soft fur as he automatically reached out to brush his hand over the dark flank.

Remus couldn't help but let out a shaky laugh as the dog licked his hand in response before the stag butted him against his shoulder, wanting attention too.

"You guys...how...why," he couldn't stop staring, even as all three of them changed back into their human forms.

"We wanted to do something to help you. As Animagi we will be able to spend the full moon with you," James explained.

"Without being endangered by Moony's bite," Sirius added. "Our presence might keep you from hurting yourself so much."

With their presence he'd never feel or be alone any more, Remus heard the unspoken words behind what Sirius said.

He had confided in him once how lonely it made him feel to be locked up in the Shrieking Shack during the full moon, how isolated from everyone he felt.

A lump formed in his throat and he felt tears burning in his eyes as he realised their animal forms meant he'd never be alone again.

"We're sorry it took us so long to work out the transformation. It took longer than expected," Sirius acknowledged.

"Longer than expected? Siri...all three of you are fifteen! No one would ever believe you all managed to successfully perform the transformation. I hardly believe it and I've just seen it happen before my eyes. McGonagall told us she needed ten years to be able to successfully transform, and she had guidance...how...how did you manage to do this, how long?" suddenly realising that the three couldn't possibly have asked for help he was even more amazed by their success.

"Trial and error, my friend. We'll show you the research another time as we photographed every step of our progress with detailed script. It took us the better part of three years to work everything out, do proper research and manage the transformation successfully," James revealed.

"Three...it only took you three years?" amazed he could only stare as all three of them nodded.

"I... the illegality alone...why?"

"You're our dearest friend, Remus," Sirius shrugged. "Is that not reason enough?"

"I..." Remus swallowed thickly, knowing that for them that was indeed reason enough to risk something so dangerous, so illegal. Risk everything if it meant helping someone they loved.

He didn't even attempt to stop the tears from sliding down as his heart swelled at the knowledge he was that loved one they were willing to risk everything for.

"Don't cry, Moony," Remus could only bury his face into Sirius' shoulder as the other wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly even as two more joined their hug.

He wasn't sure how many times he whispered his gratitude into his friend's shoulder, all he knew was that he would never be able to express to them just how much their friendship meant to him.

He'd always been beyond grateful that the three had accepted him, that despite his lycanthropy they still considered him as one of their own.

To know they were willing to risk everything, their very lives, just to ensure the full moon would be easier for him to bear was more than he could have ever imagined.

And as they pulled back to shift nervously under his grateful gaze he knew there was nothing needed for him to say as their smiles told him they already knew.

He couldn't stop his own smile from spreading as there was only one thing left for him to say after everything.

"So...Bambi huh?"

The resulting groan and loud laughter his words caused were all Remus needed to know he'd been right and he leaned back with Peter as they watched their two dark-haired friends banter together over the ridiculous, but surprisingly accurate nickname.

And as Remus glanced outside, he could say that for the first time he actually almost looked forward to the rising of the full moon, basking in the knowledge that they'd never be the same again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¹Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban chapter eighteen- Cat, Rat and Dog and chapter twenty – The Dementors Kiss.
> 
> In chapter eighteen Harry and Hermione have to bend almost double to be able to run through the tunnel, following Crookshanks.
> 
> Something that was double bending low for two fifteen year olds would leave two tall men crawling to pass through in chapter twenty. But it is never once mentioned that they almost have to bend in two again; just that the tunnel is narrow and with a low ceiling, making it awkward for Remus, Pettigrew and Ron to walk through it sidewards. Even when Harry turns around to Sirius when the man offers him a home, it is never mentioned as difficult.
> 
> This left me to think there was some silent magic cast to make the walk slightly more comfortable, resulting in this.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When writing this, I decided that it kind of belongs with this story so this is where it'll be posted even if it takes place somewhere between the top and lower half of chapter 2. I may add more to this story later on to include more of their progress, but no promises made.
> 
> This chapter is for Lojosmom; hopefully it will bring you some comfort and takes your mind of off things for a little bit.

"James…."

"Hmmm?" blearily James opened his eyes and shifted in bed to face his best friend's silhouette standing beside his bed.

"I need your help."

"What is it?" At the slight urgency in Sirius' voice, James immediately sat up.

"I figured out what kind of animal I'll be," came the cryptic answer, making James frown as he fumbled to turn on the oil lamp on his nightstand.

"Now? It's the middle of...Merlin!" abruptly James felt wide awake as the light finally turned on and his best friend was revealed, or more accurately, the black dog ears on top of his head became clearly visible.

"H-how..." unable to take his eyes off of the ears, he simply stared as Sirius sighed miserably but didn't move.

"I don't know, I woke up to a burning sensation and they were just there. I can't get rid of them."

"Have you taken a photo yet?" James finally broke out of his stupor and reached out to touch the ears, making it twitch at the lightest touch and emitting a soft breathy chuckle from his best friend.

"That tickles," a faint smile crept over Sirius' lips. "And it was the first thing I did after the initial panic."

"Sorry," James made an effort to look away from the ears and to his best friend, fighting the urge to start petting those soft looking ears. "So you are a canine type of Animagus...judging by your ears, you could be a wolf."

"I'm a dog, I think," Sirius flushed and shifted. "I...ah...I have a matching tail."

"You're kidding!" As his best friend turned slightly, James spotted the thick black tail swaying behind Sirius and his resolve broke, gesturing to the dark ears. "Can I?"

"Sure, it can't really get more mortifying," immediately he flushed even deeper as the tail began to waggle happily as James brushed a hand over the soft ears, even softer than he'd imagined them to be. "Scratch that."

"Well, it's cute?" James tried to comfort him, biting his lip as his hand shot out to pull Sirius into his side when the other looked like he considered running away.

"Yes, that is exactly what any fourteen year old boy wants to hear; that he's got a cute tail," Sirius raised an eyebrow as James' fingers buried almost automatically in the fluffy tail without him even realising.

"Ah...A cute and fluffy tail with...well, adorable ears?"

"You really aren't helping, James," despite the whine, Sirius leaned into the touch, his tail happily waggling as James brushed his other hand over the soft ears again, examining them more thoroughly.

"It's true, though," James argued lightly, sitting up on his knees to get a better look at the ears. "They are sensitive to touch...can you hear out of them?"

"Yes, I don't seem to be having my own ears at the moment," at the words, James' eyes snapped down to realise his best friend was right. Insanely enough, James hadn't even realised Sirius' own ears were missing.

"Huh," running a finger over the spot where Sirius' ears normally should be, he found smooth skin and although it should look weird and unnatural, James found that it really didn't and the black dog ears looked as natural as dog ears ever could on a human's head. "And the tail?"

"Haven't really noticed anything special from that end, but my eyes are better and I can smell a whole lot better, too," Sirius admitted.

Looking more closely at his best friend's face, James was unable to detect any other differences. "How much better?"

"About four times better for hearing, smell and sight, which is rather odd because dogs aren't supposed to see so many colours or so far," which explained the headache his friend was clearly experiencing if his slightly narrowed eyes and the way he was turning away from the light were any indication so James leaned back to turn the oil lamp a little lower.

"We'll look that up, tomorrow. How enhanced are your smell and hearing?" James tried to retain a scientific approach to their project, even though he wanted nothing more than to curl up with Sirius and keep petting him.

"The Fat Lady is snoring in her portrait, there's someone with a serious cough in one of the other dorms and...uh...other things," Sirius flushed; embarrassment flashing over his features. "The sounds are coming from everywhere and I can't seem to concentrate enough to cast a silencing charm to block it out properly."

"Right," retrieving his wand from his nightstand, James quickly cast the charm and noticed that Sirius seemed to immediately deflate in tension. "And smell?"

"Peter didn't take a shower before bed and the sock Remus lost last week is hidden under the closet, which cements the fact that he's just too lazy to retrieve it since I know he can smell where it is. I can smell all the different kinds of candy and chocolate they keep and you need to deliver your Quidditch training outfit to the elves for washing," Sirius swallowed as James cast a quick glance at the outfit he'd dumped to the side that evening before bed. "I can't believe Remus deals with all these smells all the time and has not been driven insane."

"He's used to it while it's completely new to you," James wrapped an arm around his best friend's shoulder while subtly casting a spell to clean his training set at least a little.

"Thanks," Sirius half curled into his side, the soft ears brushing against James' jaw.

"It is rather fitting, though, don't you think?"

"How so?" James' hands twitched as Sirius straightened and turned his head sidewards in confusion.

It was something he had always done, but the normally cute effect was tenfolded by the ears peeking out of the short hair and James had to force himself not to squeal in delight.

"Well, dogs are known to be extremely loyal and protective of their loved ones. Playful, loving and great companions while at the same time they are guardians and protectors. That are all things you are as well," James smiled as Sirius curled back up against him. "And they love to cuddle."

"Cuddles are good," Sirius hummed in agreement. "But although I like cuddles, they don't help me get rid of the ears and tail. I've already tried everything we used to take Pete's tail and your antlers away."

"I guess we'll just have to go to the library, we can ask Slughorn for a new permission slip at breakfast so we can hit the Forbidden Section."

"Are we going to blame a failed Polyjuice potion to explain away the ears? I can hide the tail, but not the ears," Sirius twitched, his face scrunching up in disgust and he rubbed his hands over his face. "I should know what to do now, but I can't..."

"Sensory overload," James shifted so that he could pull Sirius more into his side, immediately knowing he'd done the right thing as Sirius buried his nose into the fabric of his shirt to block out everything else as much as he could. "The Polyjuice would be a good idea. We're not allowed to wear caps during class and I don't dare to transfigure them when we don't know exactly how you transformed them in the first place."

"I'm going to have to avoid Professor M as much as I can, though."

"I don't know, she might just find you as adorable as I do and give us a slack from detentions," James teased, running a light finger over the tip of the nearest ear.

"Very funny," Sirius' yawn was muffled by James' clothing, but he made no attempt to move. "Who says she doesn't actually hate dogs? She is a cat Animagus."

"And you'll be a dog Animagus, yet I know for a fact that you love cats," James countered.

"Fair enough," Sirius readily gave in as he made himself more comfortable against James. "What do we tell Remus?"

"He won't buy into us making a mistake like that?" James carefully shifted so that he could lean against the headboard without dislodging Sirius.

"He might, but what if it happens again? We're not usually stupid enough to make the same mistake twice, let alone repeatedly."

"That might indeed be a problem," James agreed. "What if we say it is part of our Polyjuice project? He thinks we're trying to find other uses for it anyway, so it'll cover us overall when something like this might come up again."

"We could carry around Muggle notebooks to take down people's reactions to me, acting like we're taking data as if we have done it on purpose," Sirius nodded. "It will be a bit humiliating, but it should fool him."

"We'll have a look at your memories of last night tomorrow, see if we can't figure out what you've done to cause this transformation," James smiled as the fluffy tail had stilled on his thigh, running a hand over it softly since it clearly didn't bother Sirius. "It is kind of ironic, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"That you will turn into my favourite animal and I in yours," James reached up to scratch behind the dog ear closest to him.

"I would say that it is a coincidence, but I think that when it comes to us, it is just meant to be," Sirius smiled, the ear James was scratching behind twitched. "Could you scratch a little to the left...yes, there."

Laughing as grey eyes closed in pure bliss, James dropped a kiss into his hair. "All right, that is just adorable. I can't wait to see how Remus will react to seeing you like this."

"Remus doesn't love dogs like you do," Sirius paused, a small smile playing on his lips. "Well, no one loves dogs as much as you do, but Remus isn't too crazy about animals in general."

"Maybe not, but he already has trouble resisting your puppy dog look on a good day, he won't stand a chance now that they're matched with these ears," James yelped as Sirius dug his elbow into his side, shifting away with a laugh even as his best friend yawned again.

"I think we should leave figuring out a solution until tomorrow, don't you think?" As Sirius made to pull away, James tightened his hold.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"I can't really control the tail, what if I slap you with it during the night?"

"With how cocooned you usually end up in the blankets, there's little chance of that. And even if you did, you really think I'd let you leave my side when there's a tail on you that I can cuddle with?" James grinned unashamedly while magically pulling the blankets up over them, making Sirius laugh. "It was clever to make a hole in your pyjama bottoms, by the way."

"When I realised I would not be getting rid of it so easily, I figured I could at least make it more comfortable," Sirius made himself comfortable again. "But we'll have to figure out a way to hide it tomorrow if we don't want to bring Professor M's suspicion onto us. Ears can happen, but a matching tail is just asking for trouble."

"We got away with holding that Mandrake leaf in our mouth for a month without anyone noticing, so I think we'll manage this as well," James tested the flexibility of the tail and found it could curl all the way around Sirius' slender frame. "Does that hurt?"

"It's not particularly comfortable, but it doesn't hurt," Sirius looked down. "Do you think that we might be able to bind it to my body so it won't be able to waggle?"

"We will test that out in the morning, too. I refuse to let you be uncomfortable, especially as we don't know how long it might take us to get rid of it," James tried to determine the length of the tail. "If the tail is any indication, you will probably be a fairly big dog."

"A stag and a dog," Sirius nodded. "Between the two of us, we should be able to match Moony's strength when needed. And Peter is small enough to act as a distraction, maybe make him chase him to tire him out a little if we're not."

"We'll think about all of that later, for now we should get some more sleep," James decided and without further argument Sirius curled back against his side, his tail slightly curling around James as well.

"I can hear you squealing, you know?" Sirius' grumble made James bite his lip to try and stop himself from finding his best friend utterly adorable.

"Sorry, it's just...your Animagus form really, really makes sense," James beamed as Sirius glanced down, his ears twitching as he seemed to realise what he meant.

"We'll figure it out," James tried to reassure him while glancing at Peter's sleeping form on the other end of the dorm, the normal charms keeping his snoring from reaching them. But as expected, the other hadn't so much as stirred by their conversation or the light.

"I know, and at least the ears aren't sharp like your antlers were," Sirius smiled up to him before muffling another yawn against James' side and snuggled further into him.

"Thank Merlin for that," James breathed out relieved. "But we really should get some sleep so we'll be rested enough for when Remus returns from the Shack and discovers you."

"I'm done for," Sirius groaned. "While you can't stop petting me, he's going to be a completely mother hen."

"Sorry," James was forced to admit that he was once again petting the fluffy ears and quickly withdrew his hand to wrap it back around Sirius' waist.

"I would probably be the same if you were to get bambi ears," Sirius teased.

Now it was James' turn to groan. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Never," Sirius grinned, cocooning himself deeper into the blanket until only the tips of the dog ears were still visible. "Night, James."

Shifting slightly onto his side so that he could wrap his other arm around Sirius as well, James closed his eyes. "Night Siri."

He was quick to return to sleep with the familiarity of Sirius' warm body curled up beside him, only waking when a high squeal of delighted shock startled them both awake.

It seemed that Remus' indifference to animals in general did not in fact include Sirius' doggy appearance and the other couldn't stop reaching out to pet his ears or brush a hand over his tail.

Sharing a bemused eye roll with Peter as the other tried to hide his amusement, Sirius resigned himself to James and Remus' delight and let them both pet his ears and tail to their heart's content.

"One day, I am going to pet the living daylight out of Moony," he threatened Remus. "And there will be nothing you can do to stop me."

"I'll even roll over and let you rub my stomach, if that day ever comes," Remus cheerfully declared when his hand once more found itself in the soft hairs of Sirius' tail.

**Author's Note:**

> ¹ I am aware that according to canon, Snape invented the Muffliato charm. But for the life of me I cannot see him having enough imagination to actually make up a spell like that, or that it didn’t already exist in the magical world. Like seriously, has no one ever had to hold a conversation no one could over hear? So, sorry for all the Snape fans out there, but I gave credit to the invention of that spell to the Blacks.


End file.
